DETROIT – Alliance for Immigrants Rights and Reform Michigan
(AIR) has kicked off a summer long campaign titled “Summer Without
Fear,” with the goal of trying to shed light on the mistreatment and
racial profiling of immigrants and minorities in southeast Michigan  by border patrol and local police.

 AIR held a
training session last Saturday in Detroit where roughly 70 participants showed
up from all over the area, including Ann Arbor and Lansing. The goal of the
event was to gather volunteers to go around their communities and educate
people on their rights. Eventually once enough volunteers are in place, (AIR is
aiming for 200 participants) they plan on speaking at community centers,
mosques, churches and even going door-to-door to shed light on the alarming
number of cases that could be classified as racial profiling.

Among those cases, AIR notes that dozens are related to
border patrol abuse, where specific minority groups such as Arabs and Latinos
are being targeted. 

“We see this as a pattern of abuse by homeland
security. When people are targeting others based on their race and religion and
asking them what mosque they go to, they are engaging in serious civil rights violations,”
said Ryan Bates, Director of AIR.

The campaign’s next move will come on Saturday, June 11,
where a rally on border patrol harassing will be held at Clark Park in
Southwest Detroit at noon. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has
also been a great contributor to AIR’s movement, providing the campaign with
specific cases of Border Patrol harassment towards Muslims. 

“We know there are problems at the border with human
trafficking and drug smuggling and they should be using their resources to
tackle those issues and not harass innocent Muslims who are trying to get
by,” added Bates.

Also working with AIR on this campaign is the Detroit
Coalition against Police Brutality, an activist group speaking out against
local police abusing civilian rights, with cases such as warrant-less illegal
searches, intimidation and racial profiling while driving.

For more info about AIR or their “Summer Without
Fear” campaign, visit www.michiganimmigrationreform.org or contact them at
313.358.7020.